October 26, 1999
In Edmonton, a youth sexually assaulted a female classmate, pleaded guilty and was sentenced. However, authorities have not prevented him from returning to the same school where his victim still attends. Local talk show hosts and many callers are enraged at this injustice.
Lack of justice does not upset everyone. ABC news surmises that the tabloids are quite happy that no one has been prosecuted in the JonBenét Ramsey murder case. For them, any unsolved crime adds grist to their rumor mill. They can speculate as long as the public is intrigued by their probable scenarios and bizarre headlines.
Nevertheless, justice is a universal issue. It affects both educated and ignorant, rich and poor, cultured and barbarian. If anyone’s law (according to their understanding of law) has been broken, all people cry for justice. Those who break the rules must be punished.
This even explains the popularity of most fiction. We want our heroes to eventually overcome the villains. We want right to defeat wrong. As in life, mystery whodunits would not sell if in the final chapter the hero always loses.
If villains violate a law or moral code and get away with it, my adrenalin runs. I yell or weep or both. If victims are people close to me and justice fails, I’m tempted to take matters in my own hands and retaliate. However, God says no revenge. It is not the same as justice.
Yet justice does not always win. Some cases have holes in them, like the JonBenét Ramsey case. The Grand Jury decided that the evidence was not sufficient for a prosecution. It seems that whoever killed this little girl is going to get away with it.
While we are tired of hearing about this murder, this conclusion is not what Joe or Jill Citizen wanted to hear. We are not comforted by knowing that this is only one of many unsolved murders. We want a neat wrap-up or a last hour confession. Justice should not allow criminals to live out their natural lives with blood still on their hands.
While we cannot always control it, God tells His people to “love justice.” We are to consider the oppressed and deal with oppressors. The New Testament says, “The authorities that exist have been established by God. . . and he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.”
This passage from Romans goes on to explain that God ordained governing authorities to punish those who do evil. They are “God’s servants” to bring justice to those who break the law. The problem is, sometimes the governing authorities fail. Justice does not happen. What then?
God has other solutions. He created conscience; even successful criminals can be tormented when they are alone with their memories. He also is sovereign. Life’s events can turn sour at His command. What looks like a victory over a victim can swiftly change.
Most important of all, God says, “Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither. . . The wicked plot. . . but the Lord laughs at the wicked for He knows their day is coming. . .”
I’m consoled that God is beyond the “evidence is insufficient” reasoning. No matter the crime, He knows what happened and who is guilty. He does not need police files or conclusive evidence. He does not even care that a human prosecutor will not take a “loser case” to court.
The Bible assures me that one day, those who choose lawlessness will face a Judge. In His time, justice will be done.
Showing posts with label injustice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label injustice. Show all posts
Monday, October 23, 2017
Wednesday, December 14, 2016
No justice? .......... Parables 523
August 13, 1996
“Outrage,” a recent best-selling book written by a prosecuting attorney, explains five reasons why O. J. Simpson should not have been acquitted. The author describes incompetency by the prosecution. He claims if the evidence against the defendant had been properly presented and handled, the jury would have brought back a guilty verdict.
During a radio interview, this author also said not one reader had offered any disagreement or protest to his statements. The biggest question has been, if O. J. is guilty, how can he walk around smiling? The author says, “I only deal with facts, but if I must speculate, it would have to be that the man is self-possessed and has somehow justified what he has done by thinking Nicole and her friend got what they deserved.”
Some still defend the former football star but in either case, all have to admit a great deal of unfairness and injustice prevails in our world. Where are the competent legal counselors? Where are the judges who can fairly deal with guilty people? The law is such that many criminals are given greater rights than victims. Do not our hearts cry out for justice?
So does the heart of God. Throughout the Old Testament, He exhorted His people to treat the poor fairly, care for widows and orphans, be kind to outsiders and swiftly deal with anyone who violated His laws.
In some eras and under some kings, justice was upheld, but for the most part, human failure stains Biblical history. The innocent suffered and no one but the prophets held oppressors accountable. Even leaders became wealthy by taking advantage of weaker people. Their prosperity was a puzzle to the poor. Why did God allow wicked people such freedom?
David of Israel also had good reason to wonder why. He had been anointed king yet the former king, Saul, would not give up the throne. Instead, Saul continually tried to kill David.
However, David did not fight back. He trusted God, expressing his trust in Psalm 37: “Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. Trust in the LORD and do good.... Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart.... Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him and He will... make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
“Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret — it leads only to evil. For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.
“A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found. But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace.”
Although David later became king, he already knew justice was a responsibility of leadership and that God eventually would hold unjust people accountable for their actions. In his own situation, Saul was not doing his job, yet David knew God could be trusted. As for himself, he needed to do right, not become anxious or angry.
Today, the title of that book, “Outrage,” expresses how many people respond when justice is ignored or miscarried. The author of Psalm 37 expresses how God’s people should respond. We can do it because God Himself responds the same way. Verse thirteen says He “laughs at the wicked, for He knows their day is coming.” Our rage may pressure our leaders to be more just, but should evil continue to prevail, God’s justice will someday pronounce the true verdict.
“Outrage,” a recent best-selling book written by a prosecuting attorney, explains five reasons why O. J. Simpson should not have been acquitted. The author describes incompetency by the prosecution. He claims if the evidence against the defendant had been properly presented and handled, the jury would have brought back a guilty verdict.
During a radio interview, this author also said not one reader had offered any disagreement or protest to his statements. The biggest question has been, if O. J. is guilty, how can he walk around smiling? The author says, “I only deal with facts, but if I must speculate, it would have to be that the man is self-possessed and has somehow justified what he has done by thinking Nicole and her friend got what they deserved.”
Some still defend the former football star but in either case, all have to admit a great deal of unfairness and injustice prevails in our world. Where are the competent legal counselors? Where are the judges who can fairly deal with guilty people? The law is such that many criminals are given greater rights than victims. Do not our hearts cry out for justice?
So does the heart of God. Throughout the Old Testament, He exhorted His people to treat the poor fairly, care for widows and orphans, be kind to outsiders and swiftly deal with anyone who violated His laws.
In some eras and under some kings, justice was upheld, but for the most part, human failure stains Biblical history. The innocent suffered and no one but the prophets held oppressors accountable. Even leaders became wealthy by taking advantage of weaker people. Their prosperity was a puzzle to the poor. Why did God allow wicked people such freedom?
David of Israel also had good reason to wonder why. He had been anointed king yet the former king, Saul, would not give up the throne. Instead, Saul continually tried to kill David.
However, David did not fight back. He trusted God, expressing his trust in Psalm 37: “Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. Trust in the LORD and do good.... Delight yourself in the LORD and He will give you the desires of your heart.... Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him and He will... make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.
“Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him; do not fret when men succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes. Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret — it leads only to evil. For evil men will be cut off, but those who hope in the LORD will inherit the land.
“A little while, and the wicked will be no more; though you look for them, they will not be found. But the meek will inherit the land and enjoy great peace.”
Although David later became king, he already knew justice was a responsibility of leadership and that God eventually would hold unjust people accountable for their actions. In his own situation, Saul was not doing his job, yet David knew God could be trusted. As for himself, he needed to do right, not become anxious or angry.
Today, the title of that book, “Outrage,” expresses how many people respond when justice is ignored or miscarried. The author of Psalm 37 expresses how God’s people should respond. We can do it because God Himself responds the same way. Verse thirteen says He “laughs at the wicked, for He knows their day is coming.” Our rage may pressure our leaders to be more just, but should evil continue to prevail, God’s justice will someday pronounce the true verdict.
Wednesday, February 17, 2016
The Problem of Injustice ............. Parables 394
November 2, 1993
A few weeks ago, in front of her own four children, a woman shot and killed another woman, apparently because the victim had insisted the first woman put out her cigarette in the non-smoking section of a restaurant.
Closer to home, a young girl from an Alberta community was at the wrong place at the wrong time and was beaten up by several other girls. Her alleged crime was expressing some sort of opinion against one of her attackers, not that day but some time previously.
These, and almost every other news story, contain an element of injustice. The innocent are abused. Con artists rip off the unsuspecting. Drunk drivers kill children. Homes are robbed and ransacked. Even people who mean well are ill-treated by spouses, children, parents, and total strangers. Life is unfair.
An elderly friend of ours repeats a platitude from one of the television religious programs: “Life is not fair... but God is good.” How would those four children react to that? Or the mourning relatives of the woman who was slain? Or the young girl whose teeth were knocked out? Does the victim ever rejoice in the fact that God is good in the face of gross injustice?
Occasionally I read some of the Old Testament prophets and find myself getting a reality-check. They not only saw things like they actually were, but bluntly told about injustices for which their readers were responsible. That includes me.
For instance, Isaiah wrote to the nation of Judah after Israel split in two. They were making idols of the gods of the nations around them but also continued with the ceremonies of worship involving the true God. Even though the contradiction seems obvious, some may have wondered why God was not listening to their cries for help. Nearby political powers threatened to conquer them, they cried to God for help, but He was not listening.
At the command of God, Isaiah told them: “Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.”
After saying that, Isaiah listed the injustice going on around them: “Your hands are stained with blood, your fingers with guilt. Your lips have spoken lies, and your tongue mutters wicked things. No one calls for justice; no one pleads his case with integrity. They rely on empty arguments and speak lies.... Their deeds are evil deeds, and acts of violence are in their hands. Their feet rush into sin; they are swift to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are evil thoughts; ruin and destruction mark their ways.... there is no justice in their paths....”
Isaiah did acknowledge that not everyone was like that: “We look for light, but all is darkness; for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows. Like the blind we grope along the wall, feeling our way like men without eyes.... We look for justice, but find none; for deliverance, but it is far away.”
The problem is not that God is uncaring. God feels the same way those people did, and as many of us still do: “The LORD looked and was displeased that there was no justice.” However, God does not hold Himself responsible for that kind of situation. He is not committing the injustices even though many people blame Him when evil people oppress them or treat them unfairly.
Isaiah goes on to talk about personal accountability and the need for each person to be right with God. If everyone took Him seriously, what would happen to the problem of injustice?
A few weeks ago, in front of her own four children, a woman shot and killed another woman, apparently because the victim had insisted the first woman put out her cigarette in the non-smoking section of a restaurant.
Closer to home, a young girl from an Alberta community was at the wrong place at the wrong time and was beaten up by several other girls. Her alleged crime was expressing some sort of opinion against one of her attackers, not that day but some time previously.
These, and almost every other news story, contain an element of injustice. The innocent are abused. Con artists rip off the unsuspecting. Drunk drivers kill children. Homes are robbed and ransacked. Even people who mean well are ill-treated by spouses, children, parents, and total strangers. Life is unfair.
An elderly friend of ours repeats a platitude from one of the television religious programs: “Life is not fair... but God is good.” How would those four children react to that? Or the mourning relatives of the woman who was slain? Or the young girl whose teeth were knocked out? Does the victim ever rejoice in the fact that God is good in the face of gross injustice?
Occasionally I read some of the Old Testament prophets and find myself getting a reality-check. They not only saw things like they actually were, but bluntly told about injustices for which their readers were responsible. That includes me.
For instance, Isaiah wrote to the nation of Judah after Israel split in two. They were making idols of the gods of the nations around them but also continued with the ceremonies of worship involving the true God. Even though the contradiction seems obvious, some may have wondered why God was not listening to their cries for help. Nearby political powers threatened to conquer them, they cried to God for help, but He was not listening.
At the command of God, Isaiah told them: “Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.”
After saying that, Isaiah listed the injustice going on around them: “Your hands are stained with blood, your fingers with guilt. Your lips have spoken lies, and your tongue mutters wicked things. No one calls for justice; no one pleads his case with integrity. They rely on empty arguments and speak lies.... Their deeds are evil deeds, and acts of violence are in their hands. Their feet rush into sin; they are swift to shed innocent blood. Their thoughts are evil thoughts; ruin and destruction mark their ways.... there is no justice in their paths....”
Isaiah did acknowledge that not everyone was like that: “We look for light, but all is darkness; for brightness, but we walk in deep shadows. Like the blind we grope along the wall, feeling our way like men without eyes.... We look for justice, but find none; for deliverance, but it is far away.”
The problem is not that God is uncaring. God feels the same way those people did, and as many of us still do: “The LORD looked and was displeased that there was no justice.” However, God does not hold Himself responsible for that kind of situation. He is not committing the injustices even though many people blame Him when evil people oppress them or treat them unfairly.
Isaiah goes on to talk about personal accountability and the need for each person to be right with God. If everyone took Him seriously, what would happen to the problem of injustice?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)